COLOURFUL: Contestants of the Miss Songkran Beauty Contest at last year's Songkran Water Festival.
Happy New Year...Thai style.
It's the return of the Songkran Water Festival-the new year Thai celebration and featuring to best of local Thai talent and cooking.
Each year, the Bay of Plenty branch of the The Buddhist Society of Wat Pak Nam New Zealand put on a water festival to
celebrate to start of their new year. The new yea rin Thailand, Laos and Cambodia is celebrated from April 13-16, which is the hottest part of the year - hence the water festival.
There will be dancing, singing, fruit and vegetable carving, Soi Daow (lucky dips), a Miss Songkran beauty contest and featuring restaurants from Tauranga and Rotorua.
Want to get wet? Water fights usually break out in the early afternoon and everyone is welcome to participate (bring your water pistol).
